It is a real SOS of several inhabitants in distress. In the Bélème district of Lamentin, who are worried about their homes because of the many works undertaken since 2017 by a neighbor below. Three houses are threatened by a landslide.
In December 2021, their neighbor below began new earthworks to build what looks like a traffic lane.
Since then, three sites located above the work area have been destabilized. According to the markings made a year ago, the earth has sunk about ten centimeters.
Ground movements cause the appearance of cracks in the houses and the footings of the foundations are now visible.
Muriel can now pass her hand under her house
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However, according to the Natural Risk Prevention Plan, the danger is very real. The site is impacted by landslides within a radius of 500 meters and is subject to a high seismic risk.
Work of this magnitude should have been better supervised, but the residents affected claim that no building permit has been filed. In addition, the plot would have been deforested without the consent of the ONF (Office National des Forêts). The earthworks also destabilized a high voltage pole which is in danger of falling.
Today, local residents require the creation of a retaining wall by an approved company in order to secure their land. But the experts commissioned by the owners of the threatened plots recommend first carrying out a geotechnical study of the soil in order to assess the extent of the landslide.
Heritage in danger
The concerned inhabitants have already contacted the town hall of Le Lamentin and the DEAL (Department of the Environment, Planning and Housing. If the DEAL agents have noted the violations. The inhabitants are still awaiting a response from the municipality.
Since December 31, we have sent letters to the town hall and we have had no return […] There what worries us is that he continues to reshape the land and do work and our land continues to move. What we would like is for our land to be stabilized
Muriel Bertrand, local resident
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The other concern of local residents is the channeling of rainwater which passed through the terraced plot. Moreover, the neighbor in question, contacted by telephone, assures us that he has undertaken this work to better recover the rainwater from his upstairs neighbors and remains rather vague on whether or not to file a building permit at the town hall. He assures that he will soon undertake the reforestation of his land, formerly classified as “agricultural”.
Anyway, the inhabitants of this dead end of a peaceful district of Lamentin do not interfere in the rules of town planning, but only ask for the security of their land in order to sleep a little more peacefully.
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